This article tells us about new archeological evidence from late 2nd century that proves Christians worshipped Jesus as God. A prayer found in mosaics in a Christian worship hall in Israel names a benefactor called Gaianus who is described as a centurion. Another mentions a woman called Akeptous who ‘…offered this table in memorial of the God Jesus Christ’…”
Because the inscription is part of a mosaic benefactor’s inscription it reveals a belief that is well established and beyond controversy. As in all these matters, when we find evidence from a particular date, and the evidence shows a belief or custom that is taken for granted, it is possible therefore to assume, that the practices actually dates to a much earlier time period.
Of course we have non Scriptural documentary evidence from even earlier than this that tells us that Christians believed Jesus was God. It’s still nice to have archeological evidence to support the truth.
I wrote a lengthy paper on this for my art history class. 🙂 Tons of interesting issues regarding the divinity of Jesus, the role of women, church architecture, the liturgy, etc. in those inscriptions!
One of the great mysteries for me has been the paucity, or perhaps we can even say total abscence of art created in the first half of the first century related to the life of Christ. Where oral history was being transcribed to the written, where were the paintings, mosaics, sculptures, and other artistic impressions of this most amazing man?
There was a very old tradition that Antioch (?)had a statue of Jesus, made from life, and there seem to have been certain paintings around. But the statue was lost, and most of the paintings seem to have gotten destroyed in all the chaos.I think that there was a certain reluctance to depict Him, in the Jewish tradition; and I think there was a lot of fear that an image might be desecrated. So there were a lot more symbolic art designs (the Eucharistic fish in the Megiddo mosaic, certain geometric shapes, etc.) than direct pictures and sculptures.